Sweating While Sleeping
As a natural means of cooling, the body sweats as a reaction to hot outside temperatures or increased physical activity. On the other hand, sweating while sleeping is a bit unusual, uncomfortable and alarming! This can happen for any number of reasons and comes with a few symptoms.
So, sweating while sleeping, why?
The Causes Of Sweating While Sleeping
Waking up all sweaty is indeed an unpleasant feeling. The first thing you need to look into is your sleeping environment. Is it too hot? Are you uncomfortable at all? Apart from the temperature, you might want to look into humidity as well. Heavy blankets and pajamas and old mattresses can cause discomfort during sleep. Even bedbugs can ruin your night and cause sweating.
The next thing to consider is your overall health. Any diet changes, fatigue, stress or other medical conditions should be noted. Night sweats are often the result of fevers which could be a symptom of sickness. Hormonal changes such as caused by menopause may include hot flashes which result in night sweats too.
Men on the other hand may experience sweating while sleeping due to testosterone deficiency. This hormonal imbalance is most likely to disrupt the hypothalamus which regulates body temperature.
In the same manner, androgen deprivation from therapy for prostate cancer can leave you sweating while sleeping.
Taking other kinds of medication can have the same effect as well. Fever-reducing drugs lower body temperature but can cause night sweats. The same thing can be said with anti-depressants. Some infectious diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis cause night sweats in extreme cases as well. Even the simple acts of eating spicy food or drinking alcohol has the same effect.
How To Stop Sweating While Sleeping
Natural Remedies
One of the first and easiest things you can do is to adjust room temperature. Experts agree that the best sleeping environment is around 65 to 72 degrees but everyone has their own preferences. This can help with stress and anxiety levels too, which can bring on excessive sweating when you sleep.
Men who suffer from night sweats take black cohosh tea and supplements as a natural solution. Red clover is a medicinal herb used to treat hot flashes. Other remedies include sage tea and motherwort for both men and women. These natural remedies are sold at stores that specialize in health foods.
Common Treatments
People often turn to antiperspirants to address night sweats which only make sense. This blocks the sweat glands on the armpits and slows down sweat production. All this is possible thanks to aluminum ions that penetrate the skin to do their job. Of course this solution is confined to just one area in the body, the underarms.
Doctors prescribe medicines such as Drysol for more serious cases of night sweats. Like deodorants, this also contains aluminum but in higher concentrations. The good news is that it can be applied in other parts of the body including the hands and feet. On the other hand, it may cause skin irritations among some people.
If after natural remedies, you still suffer from excessive sweating while you sleep, it is a good idea to consult your doctor for possible underlying reasons or issues.
